Author
Topic: How to dipose of the red oxygen tanks? (Read 9803 times)

boulderbrewer

I have about 8 oxygen tanks that I need to get rid of. How do you dipose of your tanks, I guess I need to be more responsible for my enviroment and go with the big green tank. What is the way you dipose of those little red buggers?

I have 2 empty ones that I haven't gotten rid of yet. Not sure of the proper way either.

This may not be the greenest way but as far as safety is concerned... If they're empty can't you just toss 'em in the trash?

Heathen!

That's what I do, ever since my wife took a couple to the recycling station. According to her, she was told "Those are oxygen tanks." Not, "We don't accept oxygen tanks," mind you. Apparently, they thought she was confused by the bright red and the word "Oxygen" printed on the bottle. I love New Jersey.

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“If one's actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others, only their rational perception.”

Like I said, call up your waste department - mine accepts them for recycling, but you have to bring them to a separate dropoff point - they will not take them in the blue bin. Luckily for me, the dropoff here is 3mi away and on the way to my office.

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The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

as many have said here, local waste management may take them, many for a fee. its sad really, since that extra work just encourages people to throw them in the trash. oxygen tanks are not a fire hazard. oxygen is not flammable, it only helps flammable things burn hotter. [it supports combustion] the only worry you have is the pressure in the vessel. once you've relieved the pressure the canister is pretty much treated as scrap metal. many people weld them together to make cannons. so see if your local dump will take them as scrap metal before throwing them away.

for eco friendlyness, you can go to your local gas distributer [where many of us get our co2 and beer gas] and for a small fee, get a refillable o2 tank and regulator. the beauty here is that a. they hold way more. i think when i did the calculation i figured out that the very first time you replace a 20# o2 tank you've made your money back, though it can take years to get through it all. but the best part is that you can refill it rather than tossing it and replacing.

its also half of an oxy acetylene torch set up, so if you've got a need for one of those, you'll need all this stuff anyway.